Since 1994, almost 13,000 gay servicemen and women have been discharged from the military based not on their performance but on their sexual orientation. In 2009 alone, we’ve had more than 400 of our brave men and women leave the military under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. This is simply unacceptable. It is time to repeal this outdated and immoral policy once and for all and end the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly and honestly in our armed forces.
To that end, I’ve secured the commitment from Senator Carl Levin, Chair of the Armed Services Committee, to hold the first hearing on the policy since it began 16 years ago. Chairman Levin expects to hold the hearing soon and it’s my hope that it will be instrumental in demonstrating the level of support that exists for repeal not only throughout the country — where polls consistently indicate that solid majorities oppose the policy — but within the military itself.
I’m happy to see that, as the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing approaches, there are signs of momentum building toward repeal.
Hallelujah!
Frankly, this was one of the worst, offensive, and stupid policies ever instituted by the US Government. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was a sham to keep people feeling warm and fuzzy and in denial about the fact that sometimes gay people can serve in the military, effectively, and not sachét around the battlefield in high-heels and tutus.
My position on gays in the military is a very simple one: if the idea of allowing a gay person to fight and die for this country is so repugnant to you that you feel that you can’t serve side by side with them on the front lines, then you are the one with the problem, and you should leave, not them.
Enough is enough, and it’s a shame it took a first-term Senator to shame the rest of the do-nothings in the Senate to look at this antiquated, offensive, and bigoted policy.